28 July 2013

Last year my son's mother-in-law passed away, after a long illness. Her death was a terrible loss to my son's wife. The loss was almost inconceivable to my grandson, who was ten at the time, and had been very close to his grandmother.

As luck would have it, the information-rich National Geographic website recently published a piece which is welcome to all of us who must try to help children understand death. Virginia Hughes' When Do Kids Understand Death?draws upon research from the 1930s to the present, and places the discussion in the framework of a child's intellectual and emotional development. Her answers, for both children and adults, are illuminating.

"No matter what your age, death is not easily defined. But for the purposes of research, scientists define a child's understanding of death by looking at three specific aspects of the concept.

"The first is death's irreversibility. Once your body is dead, it cannot ever be alive again. Kids under 3 don't understand this idea ~ they'll talk about dead people as if they went on a trip or took a nap, or will hold open the possibility that dead things can come back to life with the help of water, food, medicine, or magic. Children begin to grasp death's finality around age 4. In one typical study, researchers found that 10 percent of 3-year-olds understand irreversibility, compared with 58 percent of 4-year-olds.

"The other two aspects of death are learned a bit later, usually between age 5 and 7. One, dubbed nonfunctionality, is the idea that a dead body can no longer do things that a living body can do. Before this is grasped, kids will affirmatively answer questions like, Can a dead person feel? or If someone died, could he still eat? Can he move? Can he dream?
"Then there's death's most befuddling attribute, at least for me ~ its universality. Every living thing dies, every plant, every animal, every person. Each one of us will someday expire. Interestingly, before children learn this, many believe that there are certain groups of people who are protected from death, like teachers, parents, and themselves. 'Without a doubt, most children understand that some people die before they understand that they themselves will die,' the review authors write. And even children who understand that they will one day perish 'have a tendency to say that their death will occur only in the remote future when they get old'

"These are all generalities and tendencies. Some kids develop more quickly than others. And some studies have found that emotionally traumatic events ~ such as the loss of a parent ~ can speed up a child's understanding of death."

When I was about 6 or 7, my parents and I lived on a farm along the Rocky Mountain Front, in northern Montana. One afternoon I was home alone, after the school bus dropped me off. My mother had driven to a distant town earlier in the day, but should have been home to meet me. My father was nowhere to be found. I was puzzled and confused. Then something surreal happened ~ a car containing two neighbor women pulled into the driveway. They came inside, and told me that my mom had been in a car accident. My dad was with her at the hospital, and I was to come with them to stay at our nearest neighbor's home until we knew more.

Not knowing what else to do, I obeyed. I was friends with that neighbor's children, so playing with them provided distraction from the dark and worrisome cloud of uncertainty which took over my emotions and my thoughts in moments of silence. The day passed into evening, and I'd been tucked into a bed on the sofa when my parents walked into the door, and I ran into their waiting arms. I could breathe again.

I later learned that my mom had been driving home, when an oncoming car with a drunk driver at the wheel swerved and struck her car. In those days before seat belts, it's a miracle that she came out of it with little more than a few cuts and a nasty bump on the head. Thankfully our country roads back then were gravel, so neither vehicle was traveling very fast. The other driver was cited by the sheriff, and after doctors determined that my mom had sustained no serious injuries, she was released from the hospital.

But I still remember those dark clouds in my mind, not knowing if my mother was alive or dead, or how badly hurt. Not knowing is a terrible thing. Only rarely is knowing worse.

22 July 2013

Last week I watched a film which remains seared into my thoughts. The Invisible Waris a 2012 documentary about sexual assault in the military. The tone is thoughtful and understated ~ there is no need for sensationalism, because the facts and the emotional struggles of the survivors speak for themselves.

The film features interviews with veterans from multiple branches of the United States Armed Forces who recount the events surrounding their assaults. Their stories share common themes, such as the lack of recourse to an impartial justice system, reprisals against survivors instead of perpetrators being held accountable, the absence of adequate emotional and physical care for survivors, the unhindered advancement of perpetrators' careers, and the forced expulsion of survivors from service.

Interspersed with these first-person testimonies are interviews with advocates, journalists, mental health professionals, active duty and retired generals, Department of Defense officials, and members of the military justice system. The film also includes footage which documents the veterans' lives and continuing struggles in the aftermath of their assaults.

Past incidents of sexual abuse recounted in the film include the 1991 Navy Tailhook scandal, the 1996 Army Aberdeen scandal, and the 2003 Air Force Academy scandal. The Invisible War uses these examples to argue that the military has consistently made empty promises to address its high rate of sexual assault. The survivors and advocates featured in the film call for changes to the way the military handles sexual assault, such as shifting prosecution away from unit commanders, who often are either friends with assailants or are assailants themselves.

Here is the film's home page, which includes the official trailer to the movie.

Below is a sampling of facts about sexual assault in the military, featured in the film ~ all statistics are from US government studies ~

Over 20% of female veterans have been

sexually assaulted while serving.

At least 1% of male veterans have been

sexually assaulted while serving.

More than 86% of service members

do not report their assault.

A Navy study found that 15% of incoming recruits

had attempted or committed rape before entering the military ~

twice the percentage of the equivalent civilian population.

Today a woman serving in Iraq or Afghanistan is

more likely to be raped by a fellow service member

than to be killed in the line of fire.

Women who have been raped in the military

have a PTSD rate higher than men who've been in combat.

In units where sexual harassment is tolerated

incidents of rape triple.

33% of servicewomen didn't report their rape

because the person to report to was a friend of the rapist.

25% of servicewomen didn't report their rape

because the person to report to was the rapist.

Many of our closest NATO allies no longer allow

commanders to determine the prosecution of sexual assault cases.

Of those rapes which are reported and brought to trial,

only 5% end in a conviction.

Of those, most are plea-bargained

down from a felony to a misdemeanor.

Fewer than one-third of convictions

result in imprisonment.

In December 2011, a lawsuit brought by rape survivors who appeared in this film was dismissed. The court ruled that rape is an occupational hazard of military service.

Of those rape survivors ~

Five years after her attack, one survivor is still trying to get coverage for jaw surgery (for an injury inflicted during her attack) from the Veterans Administration.

Her assailant is still in the Coast Guard and lives in Charleston, South Carolina.

One survivor is pursuing her Masters Degree in Social Work to help survivors of military sexual assault.

Her assailant was court-martialed and found guilty only of adultery and indecent language.

One survivor is working for a corporation and lives in South Carolina.

Her assailant has recently been promoted to lieutenant colonel.

One [male] survivor and his wife are helping promote awareness of male military sexual assault.

He does not know the identity of his assailants or where they are today.

One survivor and her husband have a baby boy and are raising him in Virginia.

Her assailant is still in the Air Force and was awarded 'Airman of the Year' during her rape investigation.

One survivor's father is returning from Iraq after a one-year deployment.

Her assailant is still in the Navy and stationed three hours from her home in Kentucky.

One survivor's assailant became a supervisor at a major U.S. corporation and sexually assaulted a female employee. He was never charged and now lives in Queens, New York.

________________________________________

On April 14, 2012, then-Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta watched this film. Two days later, he took the decision to prosecute away from unit commanders, and placed it with a trained independent counsel.

But this is not enough. The military culture of rape must be addressed at every level of rank and command through education, and through firm and consistent prosecution of assailants.

I was so impressed by the quality and the experience of The Invisible War that I watched it a second time, a few days after the first viewing. I highly recommend it to anyone who cares about our daughters and sons, wives and husbands, sisters and brothers serving in the military. Then share the film with everyone you know. Spread the word.

21 July 2013

One measure of intelligence is the intelligence quotient, or IQ. Relying on IQ measures alone can be limiting, since "IQ tests only examine particular areas embodied by the broadest notion of 'intelligence', failing to account for certain areas which are also associated with intelligence such as creativity or emotional intelligence."

Broadly, intelligence is the relative capacity for "logic, abstract thought, understanding, self-awareness, communication, learning, emotional knowledge, retention, planning, and problem solving." An IQ test attempts to measure these traits, among others. One limitation of standardized IQ tests is that they may fail to take into account regional differences in culture, in exposure to a full range of educational opportunities, or in socioeconomic background. One can be highly intelligent, yet possess little skill or practice at test-taking.

With those caveats in mind, IQ remains the measure with which most people are familiar.

Caution ~ studies like these provide approximate information only. Not all conservatives are racist or stupid. Not all liberals or atheists are brilliant. What they do describe are the tendency of traits to cluster in association with one's political or philosophical leanings.

Hence the title of this post. Assume for the sake of discussion that conservatives are, broadly speaking, less intelligent than liberals ~ does that imply that one's level of intelligence leads to a choice in political stance, or does it imply that a choice in stance raises or lowers one's intelligence? I make no assumptions, though it is tempting to think that my liberal, atheist, anti-racist views and my reasonably high IQ are no coincidence. The question is, which came first? Or is it a perpetual feedback loop, with intelligence informing choices, which may in turn broaden or limit intelligence?

I know some pretty bright conservatives, and some pretty dim liberals. Are they merely statistical anomalies amid the throngs of bright liberals and dim conservatives? Or is the continuum more complex? I throw this out as food for thought and discussion.

19 July 2013

What follows is by no means a comprehensive treatment, but rather is advice which appeared in two different sources in the past two days. Click on each header for a link to more detailed explanations of listed items.

18 July 2013

Recent days have been chapters in the book Be Careful What You Take For Granted. For example ~

Transportation. Last week, for the fourth time in nine months, my truck went on strike. The engine would turn over, but refused to start. One of those incidents caused me to miss an important appointment with a neurologist, which had to be rescheduled. My limited mechanical knowledge suggested that it was likely a problem with either the electrical system or a clogged fuel line. A friend helped me narrow it down to the battery. Though it appeared to be supplying juice, I was astonished to discover when I went back through my receipts that I'd bought it new in 2008. Five years is an impressive lifespan for a 12V battery that sits outside during Montana winters.

To tide me over (and as future insurance), I bought a portable, rechargeable battery jumper. A new battery is in the offing.

Communication. A few days ago, my landline telephone and internet service went dead. We forget how much we depend on our devices until they -poof- disappear. Thankfully I keep my cell phone charged, but it took a full half hour of negotiating tech support menus, being cut off in mid-conversation, and penetrating each person's recital of his/her script to get my message across. It turned out that a trunk DSL line had been damaged, with repair taking six hours.

Power. At 3:45 this morning, I awoke to the sound of silence. My subconscious had been stirred by the sudden absence of fan or air conditioning sounds, and the lights were out in my entire apartment complex. I opened windows to admit cooler night air (and its cargo of traffic noise and rail yard sounds), and once more resorted to my trusty cell phone to call for repair. More menus, more tech scripts, more waiting. I fell into a restless sleep, awakened too early by my hungry cats. The electricity didn't return for seven hours, and when it did, I felt like I could breathe again. I wasn't looking forward to baking in daytime temps in the 90s, nor to the boredom of having no Internet, radio, or TV. Besides, I had laundry to do and dishes to clean.

Health. Yesterday I kept an appointment with my dermitologist, a regular visit to check for pre-cancerous growths on my skin ~ the legacy of too many days spent sun-bathing under the southern Arizona sun when I was young and stupid. I've become more attuned to which skin formations are a result of simple aging, and which ones might become melanomas. Caught early, the latter can be treated by freezing with a jet of liquid nitrogen. This visit there were only six, and only one of those was even mildly advanced.

Cancer is something I assuredly do not take for granted. Life's other conveniences and necessities do become easy habit, until they decide to rattle your cage with their absence.

15 July 2013

In the time since Saturday evening when George Zimmerman was pronounced innocent in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin, commentary and debate has been almost non-stop. Bill Moyers posted photos of protests which blossomed across the country. Discussion and argument flourishes on Facebook and other social media. One police officer posted his assessment of the murder, and of Zimmerman. A video rant by an elderly white man outraged over the verdict has gone viral.

Lorraine Devon Wilke adds her thoughts to the national conversation ~ her thoughts and feelings echo my own.

"This will be short. I've been writing about this story for the last few days and, between phone calls, social media, heated conversations, debate rage, and the wranglings of hundreds of comments, some of which have been like little sucker punches along the way, I'm emotionally exhausted. And yet ...
"The story didn't change in those 24 hours. The verdict is still 'not guilty'. Trayvon Martin is still dead. The Martin family is still grieving the loss of their son and now the exoneration of his killer. That story didn't change.

"I'm weary after hours of listening to the insanity of some responses. I'm heartsick to witness how hateful and ugly people can get in the face of a young black boy's death. I'm surprised at the rationale of some, the 'certainty' of others, and a sense that the core of the story, the most basic irrefutable facts of the case, are being buried in an avalanche of interpretation that takes into account things none of us could possibly know. Like, what exactly happened when Zimmerman and Martin finally made contact after the former stalked the latter in an act of misguided, ill-advised, gun-toting self-righteousness? To every single person who's listed evidence, who's stated 'the facts as I know them', or plied me with pious comments about the jury system and the rule of law, I have retorted NONE OF THAT MATTERS. Because ALL of this goes back to the moment George Zimmerman climbed out of his car, disregarded the instructions of the police, and with his trusty gun strapped to his body, set out to stalk an innocent young black man. THAT's the only moment that we know and THAT's the moment that triggered every parsed, analyzed, debated, and interpreted moment that followed.

"And yet, as many times as I've said that, it wasn't until I saw this video that I felt like someone else was actually getting my rage, even saying some of the same things. And with the volume, the emotion, the sheer howl I'm feeling, maybe you're feeling."

Trayvon Martin ...

was an honor student with a 3.7 GPA.

was accepted into college on a full ride.

was a volunteer of over 600 community service hours.

was a devoted member of his church.

was a loyal friend and a loving son.

was an innocent boy.

but black skin, Skittles, and a hoodie deemed him a "threat to the community".

13 July 2013

Seven years ago today, I fell in love. I'd made a few visits to the local Humane Society animal shelter, with the intent of adopting a kitten. The shelter is a fine one, with a cage room for solitary adult cats, and spacious sunrooms for pairs of adults and for litters of kittens. On this particular day, I was wandering among the rooms, admiring and talking with the dozens of felines up for adoption.

And that's when it happened. I paused at the picture window into one sunroom and there, backlit in a way that made her look radiant from within, was a calico female perched in the sunlight, innocent and proud and beautiful. I was enchanted. There were four kittens in the room in various states of play or rest ~ all siblings ~ two calico females and two white males with striking black markings. All were born on February 27, not quite five months earlier.

I wanted to take all four home, but realized that my apartment would accommodate two at most. So I went home to sleep on it, and in the morning had decided on adopting the two sisters. When I arrived at the shelter, I was told that one brother and one sister had just been adopted by someone else. I pounced, and laid claim to the remaining brother and sister.

And that's when Chiaro, Mao and I began to share life together. They make me laugh, they keep me sane, and they keep each other company when I'm gone. Chiaro (the white male) has grown to 13 lb., and his face reflects his half-Siamese parentage. He's vocal, especially when feeling hungry or lonely. Mao (the calico female) is quieter and smaller at 11 lb. At feeding time their duet is comical ~ his voice is deeper and somewhat nasal, while hers is higher and almost birdlike. Both like to sleep snuggled on or against me at night, which I love.

Because they're indoor cats, they're in excellent health. I look forward to seven more years with them, and if I'm lucky, another seven after that. Here's to true companionship. (Note: all the photos were taken using a 35mm film camera, before I got my digital camera. Clarity and detail are lower, but you get the idea.)

09 July 2013

Last week I enjoyed a brief visit from one of my two best friends in high school. Bill was driving a looping route from Chicago to our hometown, thence here in Missoula, east to Bozeman for a family reunion, and on back to Chicago. A ham radio operator since his early teens, he loves long drives because it gives him the chance to connect with scores of other operators as he travels ~ each contact is recorded in a logbook (he's accumulated more than fifty logbooks over the years).

Given that his communication is by using a hand key and Morse code, not by voice, such a feat is even more impressive. He has a formidable antenna mounted on top of his vehicle for enhanced reception. My thought was 'wait, what about safety?' So I asked him, and he assured me that he pulls to the side of the road before engaging on the radio. Smart.

Which is more than can be said for the countless drivers who text and talk on cell phones while driving. Such behavior degrades one's attention to safe driving even more than being drunk does. I posted recently about the temptation of buying a cell phone jammer. It makes me angry to see otherwise (hopefully) sane people put themselves and others at risk. Each year a greater portion of all auto accidents is caused by drivers whose attention to the road is degraded by texting or talking.

So you can imagine my delight when I learned that more states are cracking down on drivers who text or call while behind the wheel. In an unmarked vehicle, it's quite easy for an officer to ease alongside an offending driver, confirm their illicit activity visually, and pull them over to receive a traffic citation.

Here is the CBS Evening News segment. Please watch it. More important than saving yourself from a traffic ticket, it could save your life.

08 July 2013

There is a pro-trapping organization called the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance which erroneously equates hunting and trapping with 'wise wildlife management'. In an effort to generate increased activism among members, they published a list called America's Top 10 Threats To Trapping. Each entry includes descriptors intended to discredit the anti-trapping group it names. Ironically, those descriptors lend credibility to the groups instead.

I grew up in the hunting culture of northern Montana. I understand the pleasure of being out in nature, the satisfaction in learning the habits and signs of wildlife, and the thrill of getting close enough to see one's quarry in detail. But when I became an adult, I also realized that there is no rational justification for the gratuitous taking of life, whether for sport or as a profession. One can achieve the same satisfaction by carrying a camera rather than a weapon ~ and the target remains unharmed.

In nature, predators and prey existed in a state of dynamic equilibrium for millenia before humans arrived. It was we who drove countless species to extinction through over-hunting and habitat destruction. Our self-serving manipulation of wildlife populations hardly qualifies as 'wise wildlife management'. Neither science nor experience supports that claim. If we had our heads on straight, we would learn to co-exist with our fellow passengers on the planet ~ further, we would learn to be caring stewards of wilderness and wildlife. Our supreme intelligence demands nothing less.

07 July 2013

"Which are the happiest states in the U.S.?" That's the question asked by the 2012 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, a yearly report which "surveys 1,000 people each day for 350 days of the year, asking them questions about work environment, physical health, emotional healthy, lifestyle behaviors like exercise and smoking, access to things like health care and food, and overall satisfaction."

Here are the results (see map above, click to enlarge). At the top of the list, starting with the happiest, are ~

Hawaii

Colorado

Minnesota

Utah

Vermont

Nebraska

Montana ( ! )

New Hampshire

Iowa

Massachussetts

And at the bottom of the list, ending with the least happy, are ~

Nevada

Indiana

Louisiana

Ohio

Alabama

Arkansas

Tennessee ( ! )

Mississippi

Kentucky

West Virginia

If you click on the results link above, you'll discover a slide show with natural scenes from each of the ten happiest states ~ an interesting choice, since (for me) access to wilderness and nature are a vital component of my own happiness.

For a more global view, hereis a similar survey of the ten happiest cities in the world ~

Rio de Janiero (Brazil)

Sydney (Australia)

Barcelona (Spain)

Amsterdam (The Netherlands)

Melbourne (Australia)

Madrid (Spain)

San Francisco (United States) ( ! )

Rome (Italy)

Paris (France)

Buenos Aires (Brazil)

The analysis in this survey is a bit more informative, with a graph next to each city explaining what qualities make that city attractive.

06 July 2013

I didn't know whether to laugh or swear when I saw the headline ~ Christians Upset Over Depp's 'Tonto' Being Too Pagan in 'Lone Ranger'~ referring of course to actor Johnny Depp's portrayal of the Comanche spirit warrior (see above) and ally to a nearly-slain Texas Ranger in the eponymous film 'The Lone Ranger'. There is a deep and serious disconnect if conservative Christians are flailing at a fictional Native American character for not being sufficiently Christian. Of course Tonto is a pagan, by definition. Flip side, Christians who didn't believe in Native American ways were held to be infidels as well. What's the problem?

The problem is stereotypes ~ "overarching assumptions that ascribe a specific set of characteristics to all people of a certain culture". If you believe that all Southerners are racists, all Poles are stupid, all Jews are miserly, all Muslims are violent, all women are bitches, all liberals are anti-gun, or any of a hundred other sweeping generalizations which conveniently (and wrongly) assign a trait to someone based on their religion, race, gender, ethnicity, or membership in any demographic, then you are indulging in lazy thinking. Stereotypes may be handy shorthand, but they are rarely accurate, and therefor are of little use. They limit our view of others, reducing them to caricatures.

Coincidentally, I recently discovered a relevant article ~ Common Native American Stereotypes Debunked. Shannon Ridgway brings up an interesting point ~ there are both negative (critical) and positive (idealizing) stereotypes. While a certain trait may apply to individuals within a group, it doesn't define or apply to the entire group. Further, it's likely that members of other groups share that trait. We're all human.

To illustrate, here are several negative stereotypes about Native Americans ~

All Native Americans are alcoholics.

Native Americans are lazy.

All Native Americans live on reservations.

American Indians receive special benefits and privileges from the government.

Native Americans overreact to their likenesses being used in school celebrations or as team mascots.

And here are several positive stereotypes about Native Americans ~

Native Americans are spiritual and wise.

American Indians are animal lovers, tree huggers, and sun worshipers.

Native Americans are all dancers and story tellers.

Note that each trait may indeed apply to some American Indians, and may equally apply to some non-Indians. But there are far too many exceptions to justify generalizing to the entire group.

To flesh out your understanding, check out the article (it's not too long). Bottom line, our reliance on stereotypes says more about us than it does about the complex, dimensional human beings to whom we're referring. The author recommends that in order to move beyond stereotypes, it is useful to be honest with oneself, check the impulse to generalize, step outside one's comfort zone by learning about other cultures, and interrupt others when they stereotype.

04 July 2013

On this Independence Day, many will be spending time at picnics, family gatherings, and fireworks displays. It is a time of celebration, but it is also a time of reflection. It was on this day in 1776 that the former British colonies declared their sovereignty as a nation.

Here, then, is a group of people reading aloud the entirety of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Some prose, some poetry is best heard spoken aloud, rather than read. This is such a document. Pay careful attention, because this is your heritage. If you should find your mind wandering partway through, snap back into focus! This is the stuff of which revolutions are made .... and may be made again.

03 July 2013

As any follower of this forum knows, from time to time I like to include a piece on a new design in personal transportation ~ from flying cars and motorcycles to innovative aircraft and ground vehicles. Today's feature creature is decidedly ground-bound, but there any resemblance to conventional cars ends.

The Elio has a narrow two-person cabin with fore-and-aft seating (not unlike a Piper Cub). The rear seat can be folded down for a small increase in luggage space. It has three wheels ~ the two in front provide steering and propulsion. The engine is also in front, adding to traction on slick surfaces. All three wheels have ABS.

About that engine ~ it is an inline, 3 cylinder, 1 liter, 70 hp, fuel-injected, SOHC gas-powered, liquid-cooled power plant with a 5-speed transmission. Fuel economy is stellar ~ 84 mpg on the highway, 49 mpg in the city. An 8-gallon fuel tank gives you a potential range of about 670 miles.

Occupants are protected by air bags and a reinforced roll-cage frame with a collapsible crush zone up front.

Clearly this is not a utility vehicle for hauling large volumes of cargo. It would be a great commuter vehicle, and the composite body panels would provide a quiet ride on road trips. Perhaps the clincher for many will be the Elio's advertised price ~ $6,800.

Check out the drop-down tabs at the website for more on available colors, still shots and videos, news coverage, and additional specs. The company is accepting reservations for this Made-In-America concept car which aspires to become as common and accepted as the larger, much more expensive Toyota Prius and other 'green' hybrid vehicles. See what you think.

02 July 2013

In a previous post I described some of the stressors involved in my current search for alternative housing. To organize information on locations and features, I carry a notebook with four lines devoted to each advertised house or condo ~ enough room to record location, rent, amenities, and the condition of the place.

During one recent two-week period something odd happened. When I narrowed my search to a home having two bedrooms, washer/dryer, A/C, garage or carport, storage, and allowing cats, a too-good-to-be-true location popped up. It had everything I wanted, and fell near the lower end of my planned price range. In Missoula, housing is ridiculously expensive, whether you own or rent. So I wondered, what's the catch?

Upon inquiring by email, I found out. The owner and his family had accepted a missionary assignment to Africa. He said he'd tried to sell, but with no success, so decided to rent to someone who would take good care of their home. Fair enough. Things started to sound strange when he wanted me to submit a sheet of personal information without having seen the house's interior (he had the key with him in Africa). Oddly, when I drove by the home, there was a realtor's lockbox on the front door.

That's when I learned that contrary to his email claim, he still had the place up for sale. I contacted the realtor, who kindly showed me inside, and it was indeed a nice home (though located at the end of a very narrow cul-de-sac, which would present the hazard of colliding with parked cars during winter's snow accumulation).

Bottom line, too good to be true? Yes. I was dealing with a potential landlord located partway around the globe, with no local designated representative, a man who didn't mind bending the truth to gain a tenant. What if I had rented from him, then he sold the house? My rent would likely rise beyond my means, and I would have little time to locate another place to live. Not to mention the ongoing intrusion of showing what would be my own home to potential buyers.

There was also the issue of the landlord's awkward use of English, as though it was his second language. Nothing wrong with that in principle, but two people who attach different meanings to the same word or phrase, especially in a legal document like a lease, are headed toward mutual misunderstanding and possible conflict.

All this could be accepted as simply a cautionary tale, but the same situation happened again, and yet again. Two more owners wanting to rent out their homes at a low price, because they were going overseas as missionaries. The same playing fast-and-loose with the facts, the same language problems ~ it was as though they had gotten together to rehearse their act. Or was it one person, pulling some kind of elaborate con? I'll never know.

But let's be charitable and assume this was coincidental timing involving three missionaries. What is it that prompts some religious people to try to convert others to their beliefs? I find it puzzling, and offensive. By the time we are adults, whether we live in Kenya or Samoa or Guatamala or New Jersy, we likely have developed our own political, cultural, and spiritual beliefs. Of all the world's hundreds of religions, doesn't the assumption that yours is the one true faith and all others should believe as you do, seem laden with hubris? Are evangelicals so insecure in their own vision that they have to reinforce it with sheer numbers?

If I were to try to convince a deist to adopt my atheist worldview, even someone I know, it would likely not be a welcome effort. If I were so seized by my values that I traveled to faraway places and preached my 'gospel' to the world's 'unenlightened', that could rightly be viewed as the symptom of a mental disorder.

So please, don't come knocking at my door peddling your brand of salvation. And if you just can't help yourself and accept a 'missionary position' among 'heathens', have the decency to be truthful when renting your home out. Someone might be watching.

01 July 2013

When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in an Australian country town, it was believed that he had nothing left of any value. Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, they found this poem ~